Front brakes that wear out prematurely, airbags that don’t always deploy as expected, and intermittent stalling due to a faulty engine control module are three of the most common problems for the 2017

Mitsubishi

Mirage.

Drivers love the 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage for its incredibly low sticker price and amazingly low fuel economy. However, this compact car can experience some larger-than-life issues that affect the vehicle’s performance and long-term reliability.

Before you purchase a 2017 Mirage, read on to discover the car’s most common problems as reported by actual drivers like yourself.

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How to lower your Mitsubishi Mirage car insurance costs

The most common 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage problems

The 2017 Mirage has an incredibly affordable sticker price, as well as a highly efficient engine that won’t force you to head to the gas pump very often.

Unfortunately, drivers of this Mitsubishi compact car also report some common problems to

RepairPal

—some of which could affect the driver’s and passengers’ safety.

The first common problem is with the Mirage’s front brakes. Drivers note that a pulsation is sometimes felt when they apply pressure to the brakes. This is often due to warped front rotors. Front brake pads also seem to wear out prematurely.

To fix this issue, drivers must replace their front brakes and rotors. While this is, of course, part of regular vehicle maintenance—no matter what car you drive—it can get quite pricey if you’re required to do it more often than expected. The average cost for Mirage brake pad replacement is $208 to $242, and those costs will increase if you need new rotors, too.

As a general rule, your rotors should be replaced every 50,000 and 70,000 miles to keep your brakes in peak health. However, 2017 Mirage drivers report issues with their rotors as early as 34,000 miles.

The second Mitsubishi Mirage issue is with the vehicle’s airbags. There have been several reports of airbags not deploying in a severe frontal impact. Some claim that an airbag wire harness that has shorted can cause this to occur.

This issue is especially dangerous because there are no diagnoses that can find this problem other than fault codes stored in the airbag control module.

Finally, the 2017 Mirage can experience intermittent stalling due to a faulty engine control module (ECM). The cost of replacing an ECM can cost about $1,000 or more.

MORE: How to check and decode a Mitsubishi VIN

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Is the 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage reliable?

Unfortunately, the Mirage’s low sticker price and great gas mileage are about all it has going for it. The 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage ranks at the back of the subcompact car class thanks to sluggish acceleration, a low-quality interior, mediocre safety ratings, and poor predicted reliability.

The 2017 Mirage has an unimpressive predicted reliability rating of 2.5 out of five from J.D. Power.

Part of what informs this rating is the number of recalls issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA). For the 2017 Mirage, there have already been two.

The first is on the vehicle’s headlights. The affected vehicles may have been assembled without the headlight horizontal adjustment lockout clips properly secured. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).

Nearly 600 vehicles are predicted to be affected, which includes those manufactured from October 28, 2015, to August 4, 2016.

The second recall is on the vehicle’s airbag system. According to Mitsubishi, the internal acceleration sensor in the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) sometimes disables airbags because it thinks certain dangerous movements, such as car accidents, are just minor movements, like poor road conditions.

MORE: How to find vehicle safety ratings

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